Is refinishing my hardwood floor as easy as sanding it and painting it with a new stain?

6 Comments

1. Michael M says:

   November 17, 2009 at 6:53 am

   Been there, done that. It’s fairly easy as far as process but very hard work. We have a house built in 1905 or so. We sanded the floors with a sanding machine and had to be careful or it would dig into the floor until you know what you’re doing. Plus to get as close to the walls the basedboards had to be off. Which for us was fine as those needed to be stripped. After that cleaning up the mess and yes staining it. After staining it though you have to coat it with a clear finish. My in-laws ended up working on the finish coat but used some cheap Polyurethane or something. In a couple of months it was chipping and peeling. So we opted for carpet and not go through that hasle again.

   If you do it do plan on lots of hard work, time, and patience. That and use a good stain and a known good reliable sealer for the clear coat. I’d talk to a couple of stores and get an opinion on a good sealer since we ended up having the wrong stuff. Better to reasearch and get it right the first time.

   Michael
2. Adrian C says:

   November 17, 2009 at 6:53 am

   Sanding you floor won’t be easy but that is about it.You will be able to hire a sanding machine from a tol hire shop but it will be less stressful if you employed a professional to do the job. good luck
3. This Old House says:

   November 17, 2009 at 6:53 am

   Refinishing generally means using sanders to remove part or all of the existing finish, prior to putting on a fresh coat of finish. If you want to stain a floor, you have to get down to bare wood, then apply the stain and finally put a protective finish over it, such as polyurethane.

   If the existing finish is in decent shape but just needs to be renewed, sometimes you can "screen" the floor instead of sanding it, before applying the new finish.

   Here’s some information that will explain your floor refinishing choices:

   http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,203303,00.html?xid=yahoo-answers&partner=yes
4. Ryan W says:

   November 17, 2009 at 6:53 am

   what ever you do, make sure you use a decent varnish to seal it from scratches and stuff. once youv’e applied your stain.
   i got away with using ordinary wall cladding as a floor as i used a varnish that was as hard as iced sh*t.
   they normally have diamond hard something or other on the tin.
5. Ron says:

   November 17, 2009 at 6:53 am

   You can find lots of imformation at this guide.
6. John A says:

   November 17, 2009 at 6:53 am

   It is easy, but it will require some work and care.